California Golden Bears Athletics
Three Named Academic All-District 8
11/6/2014 12:00 AM | Football
BERKELEY – Three Cal football players – Chris Adcock (Sr., OL), James Langford (Sr., PK) and Griffin Piatt (So., DB) – were selected Thursday to the 2014 Capital One Academic All-District 8 Team for NCAA Division I football. All three student-athletes were honored for the first time with the three Golden Bears selected the most for the prestigious honor since Cal also had three chosen in 2003. Adcock, Langford and Piatt will now be placed on the national ballot for Academic All-America® consideration.
“We are proud of these student-athletes for this tremendous accomplishment,” head coach Sonny Dykes said. “They are all very deserving of this recognition for their academic success and we wish them continued success in the Academic All-America® process.”
58 – Chris Adcock, C, 6-3, 295, Sr., 3L (Rowlett, TX/Dallas Christian HS)
Adcock is Cal's nominee for the Pac-12 Football Scholar Athlete of the Year and was a Campbell Trophy semifinalist in 2014. He is also a two-time first-team Pac-12 All-Academic selection with a 3.52 cumulative GPA at Cal who has completed work for his business administration degree from the prestigious Haas School of Business. Adcock is also scheduled to wrap up his second major in interdisciplinary studies upon graduation from Cal in December of 2014 and has applied to medical school. In June of 2014, Adcock was listed by NFL.com at No. 2 among a group identified as the smartest players in college football.
On the field, he has returned to a starting role at center in 2014 after suffering a season-ending injury during practice between the fourth and fifth games of his 2013 junior campaign. Adcock has played in 28 career games played and started 24 contests over the past three seasons, starting all but one game in which he was not injured during the period including all nine contests in 2014. He will be a four-year letterwinner at Cal.
“Cal is unique in that student-athletes get a chance to compete at the highest level both on the field and off on a daily basis,” Adcock said. “It's an honor to be recognized for my performance as I represent the football team on campus.”
45 – James Langford, PK, 6-3, 215, Sr., SQ (Pleasanton, CA/Cal Poly/Foothill HS)
Langford is an economics major in the Haas School of Business with a 3.54 GPA who is on track to graduate in May of 2015. He arrived at Cal in January of 2012 after transferring from Cal Poly but is in his first season of action in 2014. Langford has connected on 10-of-15 field goals and 45-of-46 extra points for a team-high 75 points. He is a perfect 7-of-7 on field goals inside 41 yards. He made a career-high three field goals in four attempts in his most recent contest at Oregon State, including a career-long-tying 47-yarder in the Golden Bears' first win in Corvallis since 2006. Langford is fourth in the Pac-12 among kickers and fifth overall with a scoring average of 8.3 points per contest.
“I'm very grateful and humbled to be honored with this prestigious recognition,” Langford said. “I've been beyond fortunate to be able to be a student-athlete at the best university in the world, and in the presence of incredible professors and graduate student instructors in the economics department as well as the Haas School of Business. This superb support cast has made it easy for me to be passionate and inspired to achieve academic and athletic excellence.”
26 – Griffin Piatt, S, 6-3, 200, So., SQ (Moraga, CA/Campolindo HS)
Piatt, an undeclared major with a 3.64 GPA, is Cal's leader with three interceptions, six pass breakups and nine passes defended despite missing the past three contests following a season-ending knee injury in the sixth game of the campaign against Washington. The converted wide receiver was also leading the in tackles in his first season on the defensive side of the ball at the time of his injury and still ranks sixth on the team with 40 stops. He had a single interception in each of his first three contests including one that he returned seven yards at Arizona. Piatt's 11 tackles and three pass breakups against Colorado were career highs, while he a 12-yard sack that was the first of his career against Washington.
